'It all started with a little frog.' Meet the founder of a local frog-focused nonprofit

For Dr. Margot Fass, her interest in the broader climate change conversation started with frogs.

More specifically, the Panamanian golden frog found in the rainforests of its namesake country. These bright yellow frogs have toxic skin and are considered critically endangered, with no individual seen in the wild in its historic range since 2009, according to Smithsonian’s National Zoo.

The interest in frogs grew for Fass, who started by painting them by 2009, then opened A Frog House in Pittsford in 2018. Located near the Erie Canal, the mission of the nonprofit A Frog House includes educating visitors about amphibian survival and advocate locally for the protection of frog habitat.

“So, it all started with a little frog,” Fass said. “My love and compassion for the little frog.”

There are 14 species of frogs and toads found in New York State. The smallest and rarest, the Eastern Cricket Frog, is an endangered species.

Fass, a psychiatrist, is hosting the first Mental Health and Climate Change Fundraising Gala to benefit A Frog House at the Century Club of Rochester from 6 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 2. The event will also honor Fass’s late husband, Martin Melvin Fass, who died in November.

Actress Cadden Jones and actor Michael Schantz will provide entertainment at the gala, with Jones accompanied by Alex Lo from the Eastman School of Music, on three musical standards.

As her interest in frogs grew, Fass became more interested in climate topics in general, connecting with groups like Climate Solutions Accelerator and Rochester Ecology Partners. She called climate change and environmental destruction “horrific” and said it affects all of us.

The impact of climate change on mental health has been well-documented, especially in the aftermath of extreme weather events.

Survivors of the 2018 Camp Fire in California, which killed 85 residents and destroyed more than 19,000 structures, were found to have rates of post-traumatic stress disorder in line with war veterans, according to a 2021 study from University of California-San Diego.

Higher temperatures can lead to more aggressive behavior, documented in a 2021 study published in the Journal of Public Economics that found an increase in violent crime in Los Angeles when temperatures exceeded 85 degrees. This phenomenon was explored in Rochester through the podcast City on Fire from Democrat and Chronicle reporter Rob Bell.

More: 'City on Fire' shows our connection to real Rochester issues

The take home message, as a psychiatrist, Fass said, is that everyone needs to learn how to be more caring and compassionate; to treat others as we wish to be treated.

“And that means sort of tenderly, with an understanding that life is tough and want to release the goodness within ourselves and within other people, but it’s hard with all of the stressors we face,” she said.

More: Rochester winters call to D&C's new weather, climate and lake issues reporter, Steve Howe

— Steve Howe covers weather, climate and lake issues for the Democrat and Chronicle and as a native upstate New Yorker thinks fall is the best season. Have any insight into changing weather or climate? Share with him at showe@gannett.com. And he likes frogs. Howe used to catch and release bullfrogs at his great-grandparent's pond and could hear spring peepers in the summers growing up.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Pittsford frog nonprofit holds fundraising gala on Dec. 2